Members KevC1980 Posted March 7, 2007 Members Share Posted March 7, 2007 When it was announced that Hogan was going to take over for JER, Days fans around the internet were rejoicing...Then Beth M. came on as a temporary writer, wrapped up JER's storylines, ended the ridiculous quads, and really made the show watchable again..Finally in September, Hogan began...he got off to a great start and the show was excellent for the final months of 2006...but at the beginning of this year, Hogan has seemed to reach some roadblocks and the show isn't very exciting... He put John in a coma, and took john and marlena off our screen for the majority of the past few months...Lexie and Tek's dissapearance came out of now where and happened in one day...And we didn't see any follow up with Abe...Bonnie and Mimi finally got an interesting story with the bones, but it was backburned until their final few episodes..then they were both written out in a hurry...Hope and Bo haven't even been able to name their daughter who they had in December, and have been backburned for most of the year.. The show has become completely focused on Steve and Kayla, Shawn/Belle/Phillip/Willow, Nick and Chelsea, and Sami/Lucas/EJ...and the remaining characters are only given episodes here and there.. Well Hogan ratings are slipping, Days is hitting alltime lows in the demos (the ratings that are most important to NBC and the show)...Its time to shape up, and make the show "can't miss again"..You did it in December, so i believe that you can do it again...Your an excellent writer, the emmy's show that...But you really need to step it up a bit and bring back our show...Here are something i would like to see happen... 1. Get John out of the coma....Let him wake up, obviously he won't remember that EJ shot him..Because we don't want EJ arrested just yet...But let John and Marlena be apart of the show... 2. Let Bo and Hope name their baby girl..during the fire scenes next week...Have Bo call her Doodlebug one last time, and have Hope correct Bo and say its time we name her...Then Ciara can finally have a name..After the fire, start a storyline for Bo and Hope that has them on at least 3 times a week..I don't care if it involves Chelsea or Steve...Just give them something interesting to do.. 3. Dwelve into what started the Brady and Dimera fued...Hogan you are sitting on a goldmine with this storyline..B&C started it, but where never allowed to finish it...Also i would love for EJ to have Shawn Sr. killed, which jump starts the reveal...they hardly ever show Shawn Sr. and his death would be a great catapult for the storyline....This might be taking things too far..But what if EJ had Patch kill Shawn Sr......Could Kayla ever forgive Patch for killing her own father? This would be devastating to watch, but they would both have their emmy reals..This story would involve EJ, Stefano, Bo, Hope, Steve, Kayla, John, Marlena, Sami, Caroline, Celeste and so many others... 4. Keep doing what you are doing with Nick and Chelsea..This is a huge supercouple in the making...and i've loved everything you've done with them...just don't kill off either of them.. 5. Resolve what happened to Lexie...is she dead? does EJ have her stashed somewhere..Also try pairing Abe and Celeste...It could be interesting to watch... 6. End the On the Run storyline by April...I really want shawn and belle back in salem soon and reunited with their families..this story started out exiting, but now its getting boring...I'm hoping the new island stuff is more exciting...Having read some previews it does look better... 7. Go forward with Max and Abby...but give them something exciting to do... 8. Continue to feature Maggie, but also feature the other vets more often: Caroline, Victor, Alice, even Doug and Julie if they are available...Its just comforting seeing them appear on the show... 9. Make Adrienne's return interesting, give her some airtime..but John, Marlena, Bo, and Hope had better be given storylines by that point... 10. Give Kate a storyline that doesn't involve Lucas, Phillip, or Billie...Lauren Koslow is a fantastic actress..Please write something powerful for her, so she can show off her acting chops... 11. Do we really need the Starks? Willow has a few fans on this board (DrewH is the biggest)..but for the most part this character is a flop...Look at what SOD wrote in their year end review...Was a brother for her really needed? and do Max and Abby need to be in a triangle already? the answer is no in my oppinion...When you add new characters and give them airtime, and backburn your most popular characters, you are bound to piss off a lot of people...Which is a big problem right now... 12. Keep the EJ, Sami, Lucas storyline....and through Billie in there to make it more interesting..but make this storyline a little more exciting and less repeative...Also make Sami's wedding in May a big event that everyone attends...and how about letting Sami get married this time... 13. Try to use more than 6 or 7 characters in an episode...The longer scenes are nice sometimes, but not when they become repetitive...Which is what we've been seeing for the past month...for example, How many times can EJ torturing Sami in each episode continue to be entertaining? Hogan was doing a great job of using more characters and having different interactions his first few months..but thats been stalled...As Phoenix said, i would love to see a big gala or get together, where the whole cast is there and everyone can be dressed up....With budget cuts those are hard to do, but they are so much fun to watch unfold.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members billyjill Posted March 7, 2007 Members Share Posted March 7, 2007 Overall I think I agree. Hope you don't mind if I voice what's on my mind too. Jed and a triangle is way too overbloated a problem for Mabby at this point IMO. I still don't know what it is these two see in the other, besides the superficial. Nick and Chelsea work great together but just be careful not to burn up all their potential too quickly. That doesn't mean slow them to a snail's pace, rather look at the drama level of their stuff and make sure you're not ratcheting it up too much too soon. I think I've decided that somebody from the "Big Four" needs to be on just about every day. You gotta pay them eventually, so use them. Write emotional arcs pay-offs better, and juggle the storylines so we get our share of romance, adventure, mystery, and angst on a regular basis. Also I think Days needs to realize that family connections is one of this show's biggest strengths and I would have them mix them up and use them better for more drama (not just supporting filler scenes). And enough of the repetition, both on a weekly scale and in view of a character's overall arc. Make sure these people are growing and learning from mistakes, or maybe making new ones in light of understandable duress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mason Posted March 7, 2007 Members Share Posted March 7, 2007 1. Get rid of unnecessary characters (Jed, Willow, etc.) and focus on characters people want to see i.e. Bo/Hope/John/Marlena. 2. Pick up the pace a little. Those are really the only two complaints I have right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Evan Posted March 7, 2007 Members Share Posted March 7, 2007 I agree with all of the above comments, but I'll add one more: BRING BACK MATT ASHFORD PERMANENTLY! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PhoenixRising05 Posted March 7, 2007 Members Share Posted March 7, 2007 Here is mine: 1.) Improve the balance (already seeing it but it needs some more work). 2.) Pick up the pace and try not to choose sweeps as a slow month. I realize it was unavoidable but not good timing. 3.) Get rid of Jed. I can tolerate Willow but if she goes I am fine with it. 4.) Stop letting fanbases send stuff in to use on the show. They can send stuff in but not for specific scenes unless they are sent directly to the actors. 5.) Have a party or some sort of cast event where things can be setup and we can have some drama. 6.) Don't give in to rabid fanbases and take more risks. 7.) Improve the music and get rid of the SFX endings entirely. 8.) Get Shelle back to Salem and let us see Victor more if possible. 9.) Name Hope's baby so people can shutup . 10.) Promote the show more and maintain momentum. Give us at most one or two slow shows a week if things must slow down. No more one month draggy periods. That is all I got. I am pretty happy but these are improvements that could make me over the moon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ponz Posted March 8, 2007 Members Share Posted March 8, 2007 1) Make the Steve/EJ story a genuine ensemble involving John, Marlena, Bo and Hope. Along the same lines, make the Dimera/Brady feud more of a battle between good & evil and less about good people being victimised. Bring John out of his coma and have he and Marlena take an active role in bringing down EJ. 2) Cut sci-fi gimmicks like tarot cards and brainwashing. There's no reason for Hogan to resort to campy nonsense like this since he writes character-driven material well. 3) Give the viewers more romance and link romantic scenes to the stories themselves (as opposed to just throwing bones to fanbases). Again, Hogan has proven he can write great romance. We just need more of it. 4) Better follow-through on important scenes. It's unsatisfying to viewers when a payoff passes in the blink of an eye. Instead of cramming good scenes into one episode, spread them out over the course of a week. 5) Better balance and use of supporting characters. Hogan began his tenure by showing diverse character interactions but his balance has gotten steadily worse. We need more Victor, Maggie, Caroline, Abe etc. 5) Have Sami tell her loved ones about the rape and have them be understanding about it. I would especially like to see Marlena/Sami and Kayla/Sami scenes. Give the girl a successful wedding. 6) Less of the Elvis show. The charming bad guy act wears thin when its on every single day. 7) Build and maintain momentum in the stories. Hogan's biggest mistake as DAYS HW thus far was allowing the excitement of late December to fizzle out. 8) Use the forthcoming returns of Jack & Adrienne (however brief) to show meaningful family scenes between the Johnsons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bree Posted March 8, 2007 Members Share Posted March 8, 2007 I agree with everyone that's posted. What I've noticed is that most of the characters have gone back to being isolated in their own stories, a huge mistake that JER made for almost his entire second tenure. Why haven't Shawn and Belle attempted to contact their families? Where is the Kate/Philip interaction? You'd never know they were mother and son. Why isn't Lucas sharing scenes with his niece Abby, his aunt Maggie, and Hope and Nick, whom he's also related to? They also need to stop with the "one character controlling everything" story. We suffered through it with Tony, now it's Elvis calling the shots. I know I have to suspend belief with this soap, but knowing that the most evil person in Salem, the one responsible for Steve's torture and the rape of Sami, should really be ten years old! It would have made more sense for Elvis to be the long-lost son of Tony and Anna. Heck, he could have been a child of John's, conceived before he ever set foot in Salem. The writers could have also introduced him as Stefano's son from a relationship not shown on-screen, or he could have been a long-lost son of Daphne DiMera's. There were so many possibilities, but the writers took the easy and predictable way out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KevC1980 Posted March 8, 2007 Author Members Share Posted March 8, 2007 Great Ideas everyone...thanks for adding the list..I really want Days to be successful, and i want it to be must see again....I'm just sick of other boards and threads just constantly bashing Hogan and all the characters that are on..That isn't productive at all...I think its better to point out things that are wrong, and give advice on ways to fix things...Hopefully someone will listen... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members psychofan Posted March 8, 2007 Members Share Posted March 8, 2007 I've only got one: Bring back JAN!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KevC1980 Posted March 8, 2007 Author Members Share Posted March 8, 2007 I think bringing jan back later down the line would be more beneficial...I would love to see her return and torture shawn and belle again, when they finally become a happy family...but right now they are busy on the run from Phillip and Willow....Also i would only want jan back if played by Heather Lindell....She was just magnificent during her short run...Also it would be great if they could make her a dimera somehow.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PhoenixRising05 Posted March 8, 2007 Members Share Posted March 8, 2007 Great post. I couldn't agree more. It is so much better to hear suggestions and ideas as to what can be done rather then to just trash it left and right and not address what could be done. As far as Jan goes, I would love to see Lindell back but not now. Down the line and in the right story I would support it. I just don't want her to be one note. Lindell kept her from that but there were still times where it bordered on that. I am not against the idea of it thoough because Lindell has talent and she made Jan enjoyable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jcar03 Posted March 8, 2007 Members Share Posted March 8, 2007 Never cared for Jan so I could care less if they brought her back, sorry. My one thing is that Hogan did a great job developing the character of Chelsea recently. I started to like her so I would like to see with develop Marlena since that character was destroyed and they need to find a way to get her back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaysFanJean Posted March 8, 2007 Members Share Posted March 8, 2007 Actually I applaud Hogan for his fresh young characters. I would like him to allow Abby to have some fun with Jed and send Max off to give Abby time to mature and learn more about life before getting her involved with this wild, playboy man. Some are calling him a pedophile LOL. I'm not to that extreme but not far off either. So if you don't like the second cousins dating, how about the pedophile issue? I think maybe Hogan want Alice Horton in the scene with the new Brady baby being named. Hope that's the reason. John is in a coma until Shawn and Belle come home because you can bet he would have them home in no time at all and facing Victor and Philip in person and winning. In fact, the on-the-run story couldn't have taken place at all if John weren't in a coma. Other than those comments, and a few above like getting the stories isolated again (big booboo) and lack of the favorites on screen, I think it's going fairly well. Scott is growing by leaps and bounds as an actor. I adore him (hate his character, love the actor). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jcar03 Posted March 8, 2007 Members Share Posted March 8, 2007 One of the best parts about the show right now is Chelsea and Nick. Those two have some chemistry. Some days I like Willow other days I don't. I'm not bigging Jed in the least right now. The actor needs some time to grow I guess he was just cringe inducing to watch on Monday when he was supposed to be drunk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DrewH Posted March 8, 2007 Members Share Posted March 8, 2007 1. Bring back the Big 4. John, Marlena, Bo and Hope should be featured more in Steve and Kayla's storyline. Of course they're going to be supporting characters to the story. I'm not asking for anything more. We've had Bo and Hope and John and Marlena for the last 15 years. Steve and Kayla desere the airtime they're getting. I would just like the other 2 supercouples to be incorporated more. They should be. 2. Give Lucas a backbone. I'm sick of Lucas being nothing but a prop to Sami. That's basically all he is. He's been Sami's 'Philip' for years now. I'm sick of robotic Lucas with no emotions, only when Sami betrays him. I think the biggest problem with these two is that they're broken up and instantly put back together. Give Lucas some space from Sami for a while. Hogan did wonders with Belle when she pulled her away from Shawn and Philip. He built her character back up. That's what needs to be done with Lucas. 3. No matter what anyone says, sweeps are important. You are only asked to deliver awesome stories at least 3 times a year. I think Hogan can do a better job at this. I understand that DAYS hasn't done sweeps in years, but it's about time they started again. Hogan's work in December would have been AWESOME for sweeps, but no, we got it the month after sweeps, which is what DAYS always does. 4. Music is sometimes key in a scene. When you have this dramatic scene, don't play techno crap that sounds like it came out of Star Trek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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